Get smart during the silly season.

Here is a thoughtful story from one of my favourite blogs – The Simplicity Collective – on changing the way we approach consumption, especially during the silly season.

“The materialistic orgy that is Christmas, of course, is but an exaggerated normality for Western societies. In everyday life we often do not notice ‘materialism’ because, like fish that do not know they are in water, it is all around us – it is the very stuff of the world.

Furthermore, the idea of being taken out of these surroundings is frightening. How could we survive? We are so entrenched in consumer culture that an alternative is almost unthinkable and largely unspeakable. And yet, as our fragile ecosystems tremble under the strain of over-consumption, it is becoming increasingly obvious that we need to explore alternative ways to live.

Fortunately, there is a promising alternative in the living strategy known as ‘voluntary simplicity.’ Voluntary simplicity, or ‘downshifting,’ is a quietly emerging social movement that rejects the materialistic values of consumer culture and voluntarily embraces a simpler, greener life of reduced consumption.”

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Words from the Wise

“When there is light in the soul,
there is beauty in the person.
When there is beauty in the person,
there is harmony in the house,
When there is harmony in the house,
there is order in the nation,
When there is order in the nation,
there is peace in the world”
- ancient Chinese proverb